Method and apparatus for concentrating ores



June 1,1931 F, GRANT 2,082,157

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONCENERATING ORES Filed Nov. 12, 1935 INVENTOR- j 5417/)? ran/4.

a fir/ W 7 H ATTORNEY;

Patented June 1, 1937 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONCEN- TRATING ORES Y Franklin F. Grant, San Diego, Calif; Application November 12, 1935, Serial No. 49,361 6 Claims. (01. 209-183) Myainvention relates to apparatus for concentrating ores, and its objects are to effect a more complete. separation of the metals from the gangue, to'produce a closer association of the metals in the ore with mercury for the purpose of. producing an amalgam, to utilize the gravity of ,the' ore pulp' in bringing about such separation, and to render more simple, eflicient, cheap,

and expeditious the extraction of the metals from 10 the ore-or other material in which the same may be found.

In the ordinary operation of separating metals from a mixture of water and the gangue through gravity, such as panning in placermining, the

materials sink to the bottom and the earthen substance is carried 'oiT' with the water. This method of separation while effective requires-a maximum of human effort, takes much time and is tedious. Various mechanical means havebeen' employed forthe utilization of these principles, but so far as I am aware no person has ever produced and maintained within a confined space a layer of mercury ofsubstantiallyuniform thicknessandthrough the sole use of gravity has caused the ore pulp to flow tangentially within such space and to impart a vortex movement of the mixture for the purpose ofeffecting a-closer association of the materials and the formation of a better amalgam than has been heretofore accomplished, or has employed other novel features of, my invention hereinafter more particularly set, forth.

In utilizing my invention, I prefer "to employ a hoppercapable of supporting a vertical column of fluid pulp containing ore, which hopperis reduced in diameter at the bottom, and isprovided with narrow openings or slots disposed at'an:

angle to the wall of such hopper for the purpose of causing a tangential outpouring of the fluid 40 pulp .therein contained. Adjacent to andi'surrounding these tangential openings, 1 preferably locatea funnel shaped receptacle filled with-mercury to a level suflicient to cover such openings, and I also provide means for carrying 'off the overflowof such' material as may the mercury.

Attention is directed to the accompanying drawing in which similar numerals of designation refer to similar parts throughout the several views. Figure 1 is a apparatus, the arrows denoting the direction of thBjflOW' of the pulp fluid;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1, on line 2-2 thereof, lookpass through vertical section of my improved ing inthe direction of the arrows and showing the lower part of the hopper and adjacent parts;

.Fig. 3 is a" horizontal section of the mouth 'of the hopperon line 3- 3 'of Fig. 1, lookin direction of'the arrow and showing the location of the central discharge opening and the -tan'- gential spouts. I

Referring to the drawing, the hopper 5, pr'eferably constructed of metal or other similar material, is inthe form of along cylinder vertically disposed, and is provided at the base there-- of with a cone shaped bottom [2, through which extends the central opening l3, and the openings l4. As will-be observed, the openings l4 are provided with the lips l5, forming spouts tangentially disposed. Surrounding thema'jor portion of the hopper 5 is the tank'l, also preferably'of metal orlothersuitable material, and having'at the toplthereof' an annular rim, contacting with a coverls', aflixednto the upper part of the hopper 5 and serving to support the same.- Spacers l6, of which four (4) are here shown and which are secured to the wall of the hopper 5, serve to hold such Wall in proper 'spaced relation to the wall of the tank 4; :At the lower part .of thetank -4 is locatedfunnel 8, having an outlets, normally closedby the valve I0. At some convenient part of the tank 4, preferably the lower portion thereof, is located outlet 1, provided with a stop cock or faucet,

As will be observed, the wall of the funnel 8 is parallel to and near the wall of the'cone shaped bottom 12, leaving a narrow passageway therebetween." Wherever in this specification or the appended claims, I refer to funnel shaped bottoms, Idesire to be understood as meaning a bottom in theshape of a hollow cone or pyramid which is slightly truncated, and the .wall of which is at a- -substantial :angle with the axis thereof. I

In-the upper part of the tank is located spout 6, providing thenormal egress to waste fluids within the tank. Although normally, I prefer to operate my preferred form of apparatusin batteries of two or more units, supported in any manner well known in the'art, I find it desirable in a single form of apparatus, to supply the tank with legs I l-,in order 'to hold the tank, in operative position;

Toioperate'my form of apparatus here shown, the hopper 5 and tank-4 arefirst preferably separated. Thereupon'the funnel 8 is filled'with a quantity ofmercury I1, and the =hopperr5sisthereafter-installed in the position shown in the drawing. If desired, however, without disassociating the hopper and the tank 4, the mercury may be introduced through the opening at the top of the hopper 5 or through the outlet 6 into the tank 4, in which case the mercury will flow downwardly into the funnel 8. The material containing the ore to be treated is pulverized, if necessary, and is mixed with water to form a fluid pulp, which is preferably one-half /2) Water by volume, but which may be any liquid consistency sufficient for the purpose. v Where the metals are free as in the case of gold found in earth, as in placer mining, (that is free gold) it will not be necessary to pulverize the ore, but

otherwise it will be necessary to crush the material in order to free the metals. This fluid pulp designated in the drawing by the numeral I8 is then introduced into the hopper 5, which is filled and preferably kept filled to a level near the top of the hopper 5, as shown. As will be observed,

the vertical column of fluid pulp I8, is substantial in height and serves to accentuate the force of the discharge at the bottom of the hopper.

While a portion of the fluid pulp flows vertically downward through the central opening I I3 into the mercury H, the major portion of such fluid is discharged through the spouts formed by the openings I 4 and the lips [5, the positioning of such spouts being such as to cause the fluid to be injected tangentially into the mercury and thereby causing a rotary movement to the mixtureso long as the pulp continues to flow. By reason of the narrow passageway formed between the parallel telescoping walls of the funnel shaped bottom 8 and It, the mercury where the ore pulp enters such passageway is in the form ofa-thin uniform layer so that when such pulp has imparted to it a whirling motionthrough the tangential slots M, every principle of such pulp is dashed into and against the layer of mercury with considerableforce and necessarily caused to come in intimate contact therewith to an extent heretofore unknown in the art. The effect of suchoperation is to thoroughly associate the pulp with the mercury and to cause the gold,. silver,' or other metals therein to form an amalgam and to be held in the mercury and prevented from proceeding further, while the remainder IQ of the fluid from which the metals have been'extraoted will flow upwardly and out through the spout 6'. This operation is ordinarily permitted to proceed until the mercury in the form of an amalgam has acquired as much gold, silver, or other metals as the mercury is capable of absorbing, at which time the flow of pulp is shut off and the faucet 1 is opened and the bulk of the remaining pulp drawn'off, when the mercury amalgam, and other fluid is released through the outlet 9 by turning valve l0, and is collected in some convenient receptacle: The amalgam is then removed and through the manner of treatment well known in the art the valuable metals are then recovered. To resume treatment of further bodies of ore the mercury is again placed in the funnel 8,the pulp introduced into the hopper, and the process is repeated.

While I have described and illustrated my invention as embodied in the preferred form set forth, I by no means desire to limit myself to such form. As is obvious other forms might be employed without departing from the spirit and purpose of my invention. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered,- in all respects, as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description, and all ,parting a rotary movement thereto.

2. In a receptacle for concentrating ores, a hopper having a funnel-shaped bottom for containing ore pulp, said hopper being provided with a plurality of. tangential outlets at the bottom thereof, a receptacle having a funnel-shaped bottomfor mercury surrounding said outlets and in proximity thereto, in such position as to have imparted by the flow of ore pulp through said outlets-a rotary movement in the space between said bottoms. 1 a

3. In a receptacle for concentrating ores; an elongated hopper for :ore pulp having a funnelshaped bottom, said bottom to be provided with outlets tangential thereto, an elongated receptacle enclosing said hopper and having a funnel-shaped bottom with its wall in proximity and substantially parallel to the wall of the bottom of said hopper, in such position as to have imparted through the outflow of ore pulp through-said out lets a vortex movement in the 'space'between said walls.

4. In a receptacle forconcentrating ores, an elongated hopper for'ore pulp having a funnelshaped bottom, said bottom being provided with outlets tangentialthereto, an elongated receptacle enclosing said hopper and having a funnel-shaped bottom with its wall 'in proximity and substantially parallel to the wall of the bottom of said hopper, in such position as to have imparted through the outflow'of ore pulp through said outlets a vortex movement in'the space between said walls, and saidhopper bein'g built in space relation to said receptacle and being readily'remow' able therefrom.

5. In a receptacle for concentrating ores, an elongated hopper for ore pulp having a funnelshaped bottom, said bottom being provided with outlets tangential thereto, an elongated tank enclosing said hopper and having a funnel-shaped bottom with its wall in proximity and substantially parallel to the wall of the bottom of said hopper in such position" as to have imparted through the outflow of ore pulp through said outlets a rotary movement in the space between said walls, said tank being provided with an over-flow outlet near the top thereof at a substantial distance above the bottom thereof.

6. In an apparatus for concentrating ores, a hopper for containing ore pulp having a funnelshaped bottom provided with tangential outlets, a receptacle for mercury having a funnel-shaped bottom the wall of which is substantially parallel to the wall of the bottom of said hopper and is located so as to provide a passageway between said walls communicating with said outlets, whereby said ore pulp may be permitted to flow by gravity through said outlets into said passageway and to mix with said mercury and to impart a rotary movement thereto. 7

, FRANKLIN F. GRANT. 

